Articles | Volume 20, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4255-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4255-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Current morphodynamics and subsurface structure of thrust moraines and rock glaciers connected to three Little Ice Age glacier forefields in the Swiss Alps
Julius Kunz
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Climatology, Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, 97074, Germany
Department of Geomorphology and Soil Geography, Institute of Geography, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany
Sebastian Buchelt
Earth Observation Research Cluster, Department of Remote Sensing, Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, 97074, Germany
Tim Wiegand
Department of Climatology, Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, 97074, Germany
Department of Environment and Biodiversity, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Salzburg, 5020, Austria
Tobias Ullmann
Earth Observation Research Cluster, Department of Remote Sensing, Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, 97074, Germany
Christof Kneisel
Department of Climatology, Institute of Geography and Geology, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, 97074, Germany
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Baturalp Arisoy, Florian Betz, Georg Stauch, Doris Klein, Stefan Dech, and Tobias Ullmann
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-619, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-619, 2026
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Earth Observation archives now encompass multispectral imagery, yet producing analysis-ready Sentinel-2 time series remains a critical bottleneck. We present an open-source Python package that builds data cubes from Spatio-Temporal Asset Catalog catalogues and integrates cloud masking, co-registration, and super-resolution in one workflow. Validated on high-performance computing, it enables rapid, reproducible cube construction and updates, improving temporal consistency in a braided river.
Dilara Kim, Enrico Mattea, Mattia Callegari, Tomas Saks, Ruslan Kenzhebayev, Erlan Azisov, Tobias Ullmann, Martin Hoelzle, and Martina Barandun
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3978, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3978, 2025
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We investigated how the snowline changed on four glaciers in the Pamir and Tien Shan mountain ranges in Central Asia. For this we developed a new method of combining different types of satellite images. This detailed record of snowlines shows for the first time how glaciers are responding to climate change during the dry season on almost daily scale. Our results help to understand better when and how much meltwater stored in glaciers can be used for drinking water by people living downstream.
Julian Fäth, John Friesen, Andrea Sofia Garcia de León, Julia Rieder, Christian Schäfer, Tobias Leichtle, Tobias Ullmann, and Hannes Taubenböck
Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLVIII-M-7-2025, 267–273, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-M-7-2025-267-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-M-7-2025-267-2025, 2025
Johannes Buckel, Jan Mudler, Rainer Gardeweg, Christian Hauck, Christin Hilbich, Regula Frauenfelder, Christof Kneisel, Sebastian Buchelt, Jan Henrik Blöthe, Andreas Hördt, and Matthias Bücker
The Cryosphere, 17, 2919–2940, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2919-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2919-2023, 2023
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This study reveals permafrost degradation by repeating old geophysical measurements at three Alpine sites. The compared data indicate that ice-poor permafrost is highly affected by temperature warming. The melting of ice-rich permafrost could not be identified. However, complex geomorphic processes are responsible for this rather than external temperature change. We suspect permafrost degradation here as well. In addition, we introduce a new current injection method for data acquisition.
Tobias Ullmann, Eric Möller, Roland Baumhauer, Eva Lange-Athinodorou, and Julia Meister
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 243–247, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-243-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-243-2022, 2022
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In this contribution we highlight as an example the application of a freely available tool for the Google Earth Engine. The software allows cloud-free satellite images to be processed. We show processing examples for the Nile Delta (Egypt) and how the remote sensing images are used to find hints of buried landforms, such as former river branches of the Nile.
Sebastian Buchelt, Kirstine Skov, Kerstin Krøier Rasmussen, and Tobias Ullmann
The Cryosphere, 16, 625–646, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-625-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-625-2022, 2022
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In this paper, we present a threshold and a derivative approach using Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar time series to capture the small-scale heterogeneity of snow cover (SC) and snowmelt. Thereby, we can identify start of runoff and end of SC as well as perennial snow and SC extent during melt with high spatiotemporal resolution. Hence, our approach could support monitoring of distribution patterns and hydrological cascading effects of SC from the catchment scale to pan-Arctic observations.
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Short summary
Glacier-permafrost interactions in Alpine environments influence geomorphological processes, making it essential to understand the relationship between subsurface structures and surface morphodynamics for predicting landscape evolution under climate change. This study uses applied geophysics and remote sensing methods to investigate this relationship and to reveal the distribution of different ground ice types, as well as the related surface morphodynamics in three alpine glacier forefields.
Glacier-permafrost interactions in Alpine environments influence geomorphological processes,...